The Freethought Party of India celebrated August 2 as “Government Servants’ Free Speech Day” to mark the 46th anniversary of the Orissa High Court’s judgment, “Citizens do not cease to be citizens merely because they have become Government servants”.
FPI functionaries said the court had issued this order on August 2, 1971 in the B Ramchandra vs State of Odisha case. The court had declared Rules 6(ii) and 7(i) of the Odisha Government Servants Conduct Rules of 1959, that had prohibited free speech and free connection with media, against provisions contained under Art 19(1)(a) of the Constitution that guarantees “Freedom of Speech and Expression”.
The function presided over by FPI president Dr Bijayananda Kar was addressed by eminent green environmentalist Nadiya Chand Kanungo as chief guest. He lamented that, though 46 years have been passed, the State Government has not yet implemented the judgment.
Party general secretary B Ramchandra CST Voltaire presented a paper on the topic “Those who have no knowledge of Voltaire, Copernicus, Darwin, Thomas Hobbes, John locke, JS Mill, Charles Bradlaugh, Bertrand Russell and Harold J laski should not contest elections and exercise any political power: Everybody, whether in Government service or out of it, must enjoy the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression”.
“No Government can remain democratic if citizens are not allowed to act as freethinkers. Freethought has to be the corner-stone of Democracy. Unnecessary fetters on Freedom of Speech and Expression must have to go. Otherwise, the administration will be tyrannical, corrupt and Fascist in nature,” opined CST Voltaire.
Among others, ODAM president Manas Jena, poet Nirmala Kumari Mohapatra, Mulanibasi Samanta Parisad president Abhiram Mallick, ODAM advisor MS Yadav, Gotisramika Mukti Andolan chairman Baghambar Patnaik, NIAS Bangalore’s Dr Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan, FPI vice-president Harish Chandra Kar and AMOFOI co-founder Spwana Bijayini spoke.